DYBAR - Chapter 44 < The Beginning Of Misalignment >

DYBAR - Chapter 44 < The Beginning Of Misalignment >

Do Your Best And Regret It

The office of Duke Giovanni Madeleine.

Midday sunlight penetrated the round glass window. Lord Huxley sighed as the sunlight slowly crept up onto his desk and quickly closed the curtains. 

Fortunately, the Duke didn't say anything. 

The crunching sound of pen tips filled the office. It was a daily routine no different from usual.

However, Sir George Huxley, who had been assisting the Duke of Madeleine for several years, instinctively knew that the Duke's current condition was the calm before the storm. And in this situation, Lord Huxley, as his aide, knew very well what he had to do.

Lord Huxley left his office silently. As soon as the door closed, Giovanni Madeleine let out a heavy breath. 

Sharp, sharp amethyst eyes stared at the document. While the letters were distorted and difficult to see properly, only the face of Grand Duke Vikander, seen at the last noble meeting became clear.

"That's it. Didn't I speak kindly, Duke?"

After the noble meeting, it was time for Giovanni to grit his teeth and look for Olivia. Instead of Olivia, whose whereabouts were nowhere to be seen, his languid voice that sent shivers down his spine was directed at Giovanni. When Giovanni reflexively turned, the natural Grand Duke was standing there as if it was.

"Are you declaring that you will become my enemy by trying to come any closer?" 

"Are you saying it's a threat for a father to try to see her daughter, Your Highness?"

Even when Giovanni spoke with his own mouth, it felt gritty, like his mouth was full of sand. At the same time, the Grand Duke burst out laughing. The eyes that grinned as if it was very funny were cool. 

Then the Grand Duke shrugged his shoulders and spoke quietly enough for only Giovanni to hear.

"Oh my God. What kind of father would let his daughter curl up alone?" 

He guessed that was possible because she wasn't his daughter. Giovanni, caught off guard by the words he said, closed his mouth. The Grand Duke raised one corner of his mouth at an angle as if he had hoped for that.

... He wasn't told to cherish his luck or to limit himself to that point. 

"I hope you will heed today's warning."

Even though several days had passed, the voice still remained in his mind. Giovanni, who was glaring at the familiar desk in his office, suddenly took a deep breath and frowned. The Grand Duke does not know. He can say things like that because he doesn't know. 

Twenty-one years ago, Olivia's mother, a dancer who made money, was with him while he was drunk. He didn't know at the time that the night he had a private meeting with the Duke of Elkin, a member of the noble family, and that night when he was more dizzyingly drunk than usual, would become the biggest regret of his life. 

Giovanni's head felt dizzy and his breathing became faster. These days, the frequency of neck pulling and headaches has increased. It seems like it's been quite a while since he met the congressman, but he was just thinking about it.

"The tea got cold so I brought a new one."

Sir Huxley held out a new teapot and teacup with a faint scent. The scent of transparent brown tea soothed his frayed nerves.

"Thank you."

Giovanni raised his teacup. It was a warm tea just to his taste. The Duke's expression softened little by little as he drank tea. 

Lord Huxley saw this and sighed inwardly. The tea that sometimes cools the Duke's anger is not far away. If he had known this would happen, he would have at least asked the first Princess a long time ago.

"This is a tea that is good for your cardiovascular health, and my father sometimes looks for it. By the way. the temperature of the teacup should be hot enough to touch your wrist. That way, he thinks it's warm enough to hold and drink."

When Huxley was appointed as an aide, he suddenly remembered the first Princess who brought tea utensils with her. 

The eldest Princess, who had shown him how to make tea without even thinking of serving it herself, would look at this office with her green eyes filled with anticipation. 

Now he can't see it anymore. 

*** 

Late that evening, in the drawing room of the Duke of Madeleine. Conrad sighed. It was just as the butler said, saying it was urgent. Even at a glance, the bills and payments recorded in the ledger did not match. It wasn't like he couldn't help but notice that the momentary stiffening expression was Ethella in front of him.

"Sorry, Brother. I should have checked a few more times."

Conrad shook his head at the look on his youngest sister's face. And he smiled as if it was no big deal.

"It would have been difficult to find out right away because it was an abquarterly payment ledger."

"What you said is correct, Lady Ethella. At your age, it's not easy to figure out what's wrong, but you did a good job."

The butler spoke condescendingly and tried to cheer Ethella up. Still, as her sullen expression did not go away, she added another word.

"Actually, it must have been difficult for Lady Ethella to take care of everything that Master Jade had to do."

But... 

Conrad swallowed the thought that suddenly emerged. And he comforted Ethella once again.

"It's okay because it's your first time doing it. Great job. I'll take care of this, so study hard like you are now."

Ethella barely nodded at the friendly voice and left the living room. Only then did Conrad gently press the back of his nose.

In an instant, he felt tired. As the agreement with Heferti was getting closer, his work as an aide to the Minister of Foreign Affairs was piled up like a mountain. 

In the meantime, he also has to take care of household chores. He took on a new job at the mansion where he had come to rest for a while. 

Conrad let out a soft breath and checked the ledger. In addition to the quarterly bill payment ledger, a review of budget details and the current status of Madeleine's estate. Conrad, who was gritting his teeth while thinking about Jade, soon shrugged his shoulders as if he had given up. 

These days, rumors were spreading within the palace that Sir Madeleine, vice-captain of the 3rd Knights, was devoting himself to sparring like a crazy person. It seemed to be related to what happened a few days ago when he came to see Conrad with a gray face, but Conrad didn't want to call Jade and talk about it again. 

If Jade's worries could be solved even if he had to overwork his body like that, that would be okay. 

Conrad picked up his pen again. And he found a record of the last final payment. Unlike the ledger in front of him, which had spotty records, the front ledger where the final payment was made was clear even at a glance. 

It would be nice to just sign a ledger that is clearly organized like this. It was a moment when Conrad, who was looking at the transactions between Essela's Boutique and various merchants, which is the merchant where food ingredients come in, became as frozen as ice. 

Come to think of it. Since when did he stop paying attention to the household ledgers? 

His father, a Duke, was exhausted from his country's affairs.

Then, it was natural for Conrad, the Little Duke, to take charge of the household affairs. That natural procedure has changed.

"Well, I can see the ledger clearly now, Brother!"

5 years ago. So, Conrad was 20 years old and had just become an aide. Olivia at that time was fifteen.

A low voice leaked out through his teeth.

That's right, fifteen. Olivia's ledger, which was a mess at first, gradually got better.

The final review went from once a month to the point where it only needs to be reviewed quarterly. 

Conrad shook his head. There was no time to indulge in such sentiments right now. Only one person left for a moment. 

The Emperor is still looking at Olivia and  Ethella, so his father will naturally push Olivia back into the seat next to the Crown Prince. 

By then everything will be back to normal. So it's done. 

Conrad, not knowing what had happened, tried hard to convince himself. So he decided to pretend he didn't see this situation. 

Even though spring is coming to an end, the same flowers are always in the vase. Somehow, the meal was slightly out of his taste. The atmosphere of the mansion is as gloomy as winter. 

The gaze he always felt from across the hallway also disappeared.

Somehow he felt relieved. Conrad gritted his teeth and glared at the numbers in his ledger. Conrad ignored the elegant handwriting he was familiar with and wrote down a new number. While also ignoring the feeling that his mind is emptying out somewhere. 

***

Through the window of the carriage, I saw a somewhat familiar road. Lush trees and small flowers.

I looked at the path I had passed by and exclaimed softly. It was the road I saw when I went to the abandoned mine. 

At that time, I felt regretful about leaving and kept looking back through the carriage window. Once I began to remember, the trees and flowers I had seen and the abandoned mines I had entered along the remote path became as vivid as if they had been painted before my eyes. 

I sat close to the window, but I had already passed the road to the abandoned mine. 

My eyes filled with regret. If I go over there, I can show Edwin my mine. I was conflicted for a moment. Should I find a way to utilize the abandoned mine? Or should I say it now? 

It was at that moment that I remembered the abandoned mine documents in my luggage.

"Olivia. Are you uncomfortable?"

Seeing Edwin looking at me with a worried face, I threw up my hand.

"That can't be right." 

"Yesterday's bedding was harder than I expected. You didn't forget that we decided to talk about it right away if something happened, right?"

Edwin said as if urging.

I chuckled. He tells me sincerely that the road to the Grand Duchy was a pleasure. The picnic-like lunch featured new foods such as warm soup, salad, and fresh fruit, and the hotel in the village where we stayed every night was also nice. 

It was Edwin and Sir Howard Interfield who were anxious about accommodation. To them, it seemed like I was still a precious Young Lady who only slept on good bedding at the Duke's house. 

Starting from my childhood when I slept on a bed made of straw, I traveled to different regions and experienced various lodgings at the orders of the Princess. But I didn't say anything. 

The way he treated me like a really precious Young Lady was strange, but I liked it. I didn't think that even if I told them about my past, his attitude of making a fuss and giving to me would change. 

Still. I wanted to continue to enjoy this happiness that was mine...

"It must be uncomfortable."

When Edwin spoke decisively, I was unable to wave my hand like before. I seemed fine until a moment ago. I mumbled into my mouth and touched my fingertips together. 

I tried to raise the corners of my mouth, but I  couldn't help but feel nervous as I got closer to the Grand Duke.

"Are you nervous?"

For some reason, Edwin's voice was playful.

I, who was about to pout my lips in response to my sudden grumpiness, blinked for a moment when I saw  Edwin's face. 

He always had a smile on his face, but now Edwin was smiling even more brightly. I looked at him closely, hoping to find the cause of his vitality that shined like a jewel.

"No way. Is Edwin nervous now too?"

"Sure. It's been a while since I've been back."

In response to Edwin's easy answer, I said, 

"Oops, and blamed my insensitivity."

I knew full well that he had only been in war, but why did I not think that he would also have been away from Vikander Territory for a long time?

I looked at Edwin's face again. If you think about it, Edwin was returning to his own land after a really long time. I felt a strange sense of kinship, and at the same time, I felt a little sorry for not taking care of Edwin because I was only thinking about adjusting to myself. 

l put my mind down and looked outside. Meanwhile, Edwin wrapped his robe over his livery. Those sloppy, colorfully patterned robes clearly don't have the workmanship of a high-end handicraft shop. 

It was the robe Edwin was wearing when I first saw him. 

"Is it a special robe?"

"If you don't wear it, I get nagging, so it's special, right?"

What a nag. I laughed a little, wondering who would nag Edwin in this place without Sobel. 

As the magnificent and sturdy castle walls got closer, the colorful flower necklaces hanging on the outside of the walls became noticeable. I could feel the lively atmosphere of Vikander's territory welcoming the Grand Duke who returned after a long time. 

The iron gate that seemed like it would never open opened, and the carriage entered Vikander's territory. My heart was pounding hard and at the same time, loud shouts poured out towards the carriage. 

Surprised, I looked outside the carriage. I saw a long procession stretching from the gate to the road. Everyone's faces were bright. This was my first time seeing a welcoming procession like this. 

I, who was dazed, then looked at Edwin and nodded my head. It's a place where war heroes don't even get a victory ceremony. I didn't know that a procession of this magnitude was natural in his territory.

"Wave your hand outside quickly."

I said to Edwin, thinking of Sally. I'm sure the people standing over there wanted to see Edwin just as much as Sally, who said she wanted to see the war hero. If I had known this would happen, I would have told him to ride a horse instead of a carriage. 

It was when I urged Edwin, feeling a deep sense of regret.

"The Lady who has received Your Highness's oath! Welcome to Vikander!"

My eyes widened as she heard a childish voice booming from outside. Edwin smiled mischievously and shrugged his shoulders. 

"What are you doing? Don't wave your hands outside."

"Now...."

Before I could ask if I had misheard, fireworks exploded in the clear sky with a pop sound. The letters are embroidered with pretty sparkling fireworks.

Welcome to Her Highness, the prospective Grand Duchess. 

It was my first time seeing letters made like that with firecrackers. I opened my mouth blankly and looked at the writing.

Edwin chuckled and muttered.

"Anyway. Bethenny's skills are as good as ever."

"Isn't this a procession for Edwin?"

"Just by looking at it, it's a parade for Olivia?"

"No matter how you look at it, it looks like a victory ceremony."

"The people of Vikander have already held the victory ceremony more than ten times. So wave your hand quickly."

It was my first time receiving such hospitality. While my mind was blank as I didn't know what to do, Edwin looked at me opened the window, and waved his hand to the outside. 

I slowly waved my hand as if to follow him. 

Wow!

The cheers got louder. At the beginning of the meeting with Vikander, which was full of tension, my heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it was going to hurt.

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